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Oscar Pistorius murder case: timeline

Updated
Wed Jul 06 19:59:07 EST 2016

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Oscar Pistorius in court on final day of bail hearing

Reuters: Siphiwe Sibeko

In a long-running case that has made headlines around the world, South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been convicted of murder by a South African courtfor killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

An appeal court has found errors of law in the initial trial and ruled Pistorius — who had been found guilty and served 12 months in jail for "culpable homicide" — should have his conviction upgraded.

We look back over the events since that fateful day in February 2013.

February 2013:

14: South African police arrest Pistorius for the murder of Ms Steenkamp, who was shot four times with one of his guns at his house near Pretoria. Read the story

15: Pistorius breaks down in tears as he is charged with murder, which he denies "in the strongest terms".

17: Pistorius pulls out of races for the coming months, his manager says.

19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit that he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and was "filled with horrible fear" that someone had sneaked into his luxury Pretoria home through an open window.

He insists he did not intend to kill Ms Steenkamp after being charged with shooting her repeatedly through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term a "premeditated" murder. Read the story

20: Witnesses claim to have heard arguing, a woman screaming and gunfire at Pistorius's house the night of the slaying, police tell the court.

French cosmetics firm Clarins says it is dropping an advertising campaign featuring Pistorius.

South African police name a top detective to the case after it emerges that the officer initially assigned to it faces attempted murder charges. Read the story

22: Pistorius is granted bail by a magistrate pending trial. His bail is set at one million rand ($99,000) after the sprinter spent more than a week in custody and sat through a tense four-day bail hearing.

November 2013

20: Pistorius is formally charged with two extra gun-related offences that allegedly occurred on separate occasions before Steenkamp's death. Read the story

January 2014

23: Pistorius's lawyers and Steenkamp's family are discussing an out-of-court financial settlement, a lawyer says.

29: A South African television network announces it plans to launch a 24-hour channel dedicated to Pistorius's murder trial. His lawyers oppose the trial being televised. Read the story

February 2014

14: Pistorius marks the first anniversary of Steenkamp's Valentine's Day killing by releasing a statement on his website acknowledging the "pain and sadness" of her family. "The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life," he said.

25: Judge Dunstan Mlambo rules much of Pistorius's trial can be televised live. However, they will not be allowed to film Pistorius, witnesses for the defence, or anyone else who objects to appearing on camera. A live audio broadcast will be allowed throughout the trial. Read the story

March 2014

3: The trial opens in Pretoria, before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who told the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman and gunshots. Read the story

April 2014

7-15: Pistorius takes the witness stand and begins with a tearful apology to the family of the woman he shot dead. This is followed by five days of intense cross-examination, marked by several bouts of tears and breaks in the session. But while Pistorius admits to having fired the shots, he refuses to admit any intention to kill his girlfriend.

June 2014

30: After a six-week interruption, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius was not suffering from mental illness. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Read the story

July 2014

12: Pistorius, who is on bail, is expelled from a nightclub after a scuffle with another patron.

August 2014

7: State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, in his final argument before the court, accuses Pistorius of concocting an alibi that led to a "snowball effect" of lies.

8: The trial concludes with closing arguments from the defence. A verdict is scheduled for September 11, 2014. Read the story

September 2014

11: Judge Thokozile Masipa says Pistorius will not be found guilty of murder but could still be found guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide. Judge Masipa said the state had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Pistorious was guilty of premediatated murder. Read the story

October 2014

21: Pistorius is sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Read the story

October 2015

15: The South African department of correctional services announces Pistorius will be released from prison next week.

20: Pistorius is released from prison and will see out the rest of his five-year sentence under house arrest at his uncle's Pretoria mansion. Read the story

December 2015

3: Pistorius has culpable homicide conviction overturned on appeal and the South African Supreme Court convicts him of murder. Read the story

8: The former athlete is released on bail and the case postponed until April 16, 2016. Pistorius' lawyers say they will launch an appeal against his murder conviction in the constitutional court. Read the story

July 2016

6: Pistorius is sentenced to six years' jail for murdering Steenkamp. The state had called for him to receive no less than the prescribed minimum 15-year sentence for murder, but High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa lists several mitigating factors for sentencing him to less. Read the story